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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. can — a tin
  3. bat — the animal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rash — a series
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. chair — a leader
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. branch — a division

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com